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"This is a lot of fun," center Lawna Kennedy said. "We get right back to it, it's a quick turnaround and we're all excited to get back on the floor."

There's still plenty to sort out as the 0-1 Lumberjacks come to town, particularly in terms of figuring out a rotation. UTEP was able to use all 15 players extensively, as two key guns who figure to get major minutes, center Tamara Seda and the small forward Parker, played just eight and 13 minutes respectively.

Adams mentioned after the HBU game that depth is more important this year with at least two fewer media timeouts in the new four-quarter format, but there will still be a winnowing down that takes place over the next few weeks.

"We've got to work on the rotation, finding out roles," Adams said. "Our defense, we've got to continue to work on defense. We had a good week of practice last week and it starts with defense."

That was what excited UTEP most about its opener, as it forced 33 turnovers against Houston Baptist and was dominant with its press early while establishing a huge lead.

"The defense was amazing," Parker said. "The first quarter we came out and jumped on them. We need to build on that even more."

"We've got to get better on transition defense," LuLu McKinney said. "We were better in halfcourt defense but we have to get better in transition."

They'll work on that against an NAU team that struggled offensively in a 61-52 opening home loss to Hawaii. The Lumberjacks, who lost 82-52 at UTEP last year, were in foul trouble and finished 24 percent from the field, including 0-of-10 from 3-point range.

While the Lumberjacks trailed for all but the first few minutes, they were within two points midway through the fourth quarter.

"They've got a mixture of thick post players, they are physical, they attack you off the dribble," Adams said. "They want to get the ball inside and they are an excellent free-throw shooting team (24-of-30 against Hawaii). We need to be smart about not fouling."

At this point, of course, UTEP is more focused on itself, sorting through 15 players as it tries to start stringing wins together.

Bret Bloomquist may be reached at 546-6151; bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @bretbloomquist on Twitter.